Best WhatsApp alternatives in India: messaging solutions for businesses

While WhatsApp is a widely used messaging app with over 596 million users in India, its business solutions can be taxing especially for brands without a budget. This has led to some businesses in India searching for a WhatsApp alternative, using other popular messaging apps. However, while there are many free messaging apps that can be used as a WhatsApp alternative, they might not offer as many business features that are essential for customer communication. Let’s take a look at each of them and see which is the best for your brand in India!

Top messaging apps as your WhatsApp alternative in India

If you’re wondering, is there an alternative to WhatsApp, the answer is yes. There are definitely plenty of alternatives to WhatsApp Business, and here are a few to consider:

WhatsApp alternative #1: Viber

One of the popular alternatives to WhatsApp in India is Viber - which provides businesses with a range of features such as end-to-end encryption for 1-on-1 messages, voice and video calls, and file sharing. That makes it a great alternative for businesses looking to ensure their communication channels are secure. Note: Group calls and chats in Communities and Channels are encrypted in transit but not end-to-end encrypted.

Additionally, Viber also offers various customization options such as stickers and emojis for businesses to use in their communication. Viber now boasts over 55,000 stickers, and businesses can create their own branded sticker packs to enhance engagement.

Similar to WhatsApp Broadcasts, businesses can also send Viber bulk messages to customers.Viber Business Messages now support rich media like images, buttons, and links for engaging communication. Businesses can verify users via OTPs and boost security with SecurePlus. New features include AI Chat Summary for quick updates, Invisible Mode for private reading, Silent Group Exits, and Chat Folders to organize conversations for easier management.

Connect your Viber business account to SleekFlow to start blasting messages.

WhatsApp alternative #2: Telegram

Telegram is another messaging app that has gained popularity in India as an alternative to WhatsApp. Telegram provides businesses with end-to-end encryption for Secret Chats. It has a self-destruct timer for messages (Secret Chat), which is ideal for businesses that operate in the financial sector and prioritize security. As of May 2025, Telegram has introduced end-to-end encrypted group calls, enhancing secure communication for businesses.

Besides, Telegram also offers businesses the ability to create groups with up to 200,000 members, and channels with an unlimited number of members, making it ideal for businesses that need to communicate with a large customer base.Additionally, Telegram has launched Telegram Business accounts, allowing businesses to set operating hours, display their location on a map, use quick replies, automated greeting and away messages, and customize the start page for new conversations.

Furthermore, the 'People Nearby' feature has been replaced with 'Businesses Nearby,' enabling verified businesses to display products and accept payments, enhancing visibility and customer engagement.

Connect your Telegram business account to SleekFlow for more business features.

WhatsApp alternative #3: Facebook Messenger

Facebook Messenger is also widely used in India, with at least 378 million active users in 2024, making it a suitable alternative to WhatsApp. Facebook Messenger offers businesses default end-to-end encryption for personal messages and calls, which helps ensure secure communication. Additionally, Facebook Messenger offers businesses the ability to send multimedia content such as photos, videos, and GIFs, which can help businesses create engaging communication with their customers.

Connect your Facebook Messenger for business to SleekFlow and explore a wide range of useful tools.

SleekFlow: the all-in-one messaging solution for your business in India

No matter which is your best alternative to WhatsApp Business, it is essential that your team learns to manage customer conversations on messaging apps with organization and structure.

To stay competitive in a fast-paced market, adopting a software solution that leverages AI agents is crucial. These AI-powered tools can automate responses, handle repetitive queries, and ensure customers receive instant support—day or night.

This is to avoid missing out on messages or having delayed responses for angry customers. Moreover, the changing consumer behavior has shown how having one single channel for communication is not enough. With the decreasing user patience, it is important that your business in India incorporates an omnichannel business messaging system to ensure that your customers can choose to message your brand on whichever platform they prefer.

On SleekFlow, businesses can manage customer conversations from different messaging channels such as WhatsApp Business API, Facebook Messenger, Viber, Telegram, and more, all in one place. This way, when WhatsApp is down, you can still communicate with customers using other messaging apps in the same chat box. You do not need to switch between apps to check the conversation history and the customer profile will appear right next to the chat. 

Other than that, SleekFlow offers advanced automation features, including chatbots, auto replies, and team collaboration tools—along with AgentFlow, an AI agent that can qualify leads, answer FAQs, recommend products, and even close sales in real time across multiple messaging channels.

You can set up chat and comment auto replies on Instagram and Facebook, direct users who are interested in your products to chat with you and send an in-chat payment link if they have intentions to make purchases straightaway. With SleekFlow, businesses in India can provide a seamless customer experience and improve their response time.

Top features include:

Omnichannel Inbox: Manage conversations from WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, and more — all in one unified inbox for streamlined team collaboration.

AgentFlow: AI-powered brand assistant — built to qualify leads, answer FAQs, recommend products, and even close sales in real time, across every channel, all while staying on-brand and fully customizable.

Flow Builder: Design unique customer journeys by automating messaging, conversation routing, and contact updates based on customer responses or behaviors. 

In-Chat Payment Links: Quickly generate shopping carts with an in-chat catalog and speed up checkouts with automated, pre-populated payment links. 

Broadcast Campaigns: Send personalized, large-scale marketing messages across multiple channels at once to boost engagement and drive conversions.